"It seems not many will pass the alchemist assessment of the Haoran Righteousness Sect this time."
"After all, most of them are young faces with low cultivation levels. They probably haven't been learning alchemy for long."
"But there seems to be an expert among them. The old man in the first position of the first row looks somewhat familiar. If I remember correctly, he should be Old Man Jiu from the neighboring Qingming Dynasty. I once visited the Qingming Dynasty and heard of his reputation. He is said to be a formidable alchemist. To think he would travel thousands of miles to our Great Zhou Dynasty just to become an alchemist for the Haoran Righteousness Sect."
"The Qingming Dynasty is just a small country. Man struggles upwards, water flows downwards. This just shows the profound strength of our Great Zhou Dynasty."
The powerful and influential spectators in the stands discussed passionately. Some even cheered for the alchemists participating in the assessment, presumably because their own juniors or friends were among the candidates.
The first round of the assessment was merely to refine low-grade pills within a time limit of two hours. This was primarily to accommodate the genuine low-grade alchemists among the hundreds of participants.
When the Haoran Righteousness Sect recruited alchemists, they didn't only look for the powerful ones. They would still choose to take in and cultivate those with potential and talent.
In the alchemy arena, apart from Mo Tianxiao, who had not yet started refining pills, many old-timers and skilled alchemists also refrained from making a move.
After all, the test would only end when the last person finished refining. Refining low-grade pills would only take a moment for intermediate or higher-level alchemists.
Mo Tianxiao curiously observed the pill-refining techniques of these young people, frowning slightly. "Why do they look like children?"
Upon seeing the techniques that led to cauldron explosions, Mo Tianxiao finally understood why they could blow up a cauldron even when refining a low-grade pill.
The techniques of these guys were akin to an ordinary person holding a branch to trace a master's painting on the ground. The steps seemed fine on the surface, but in reality, they were full of flaws.
The details, techniques, and heat control were all problematic. No wonder the cauldrons exploded.
He remembered that when he was a low-grade alchemist, he wasn't like this, right?
Well, his alchemy level was upgraded by the system. Every realm was absolute perfection, with no flaws to be found. Even his alchemy techniques were top-tier.
"As expected, how could hard cultivation ever compare to the all-out empowerment of a system?"
As time passed, the experts in the arena also began to make their moves. Their actions were swift and fluid, completing the pill refinement in one go without needing a second set of materials.
Mo Tianxiao also started. At first glance, his actions seemed no different from those low-grade alchemists. He slowly tossed the herbs into the cauldron without any apparent technique.
But in reality, this was a return to the natural state. Having no technique was the true technique.
This was one of the top-tier techniques the system had taught him...
Mo Tianxiao's position was in a corner, so no one paid attention to him. Only Huang Xiaoyao in the stands and Zhou Muxi at the judges' table noticed his movements.
Zhou Muxi frowned slightly, somewhat puzzled by Mo Tianxiao's alchemy technique.
Such the simplest technique would only be used by low-grade alchemists, right? Could it be that she had overestimated him?
Seeing that Mo Tianxiao hadn't moved for a long time, she thought he was an expert. Yet, the moment he acted, his technique was exactly the same as those novices who blew up their cauldrons.
Hmm?
The pill was formed.
Although his technique was identical to those that caused explosions, Mo Tianxiao did not blow up his cauldron. Instead, he smoothly completed a flawless pill refinement without a single hitch.
"Time is up! Everyone, stay where you are. Elder Gong will personally come down to inspect the quality of your pills."
Yao Zhi spoke. She did not ask everyone to present their pills. After all, existences like them could tell the level of the pills refined by these people with a single glance.
However, the Haoran Righteousness Sect did not do so. They chose to have a top-tier alchemist personally go down to judge everyone. This alone was enough to show that the sect's rules indeed respected ordinary cultivators.
Elder Gong walked down from the stage with a smile, starting to inspect the quality of the pills from the first row.
He nodded at Old Man Jiu, who stood in the first position, and then moved on to the next person. After all, a Golden Profound Pill with pill veins sat in front of Old Man Jiu, proving his alchemy level beyond a doubt.
Next, Elder Gong walked past the candidates one by one. Many had refined pills with pill veins, causing him to nod in satisfaction. However, some only produced a black lump resembling sheep dung, making him shake his head in disappointment.
Finally, he arrived in front of Mo Tianxiao. Looking at the three Golden Profound Pills with perfect pill veins lying quietly in the cauldron, Elder Gong was slightly stunned. He then looked at Mo Tianxiao and nodded at him.
In response, Mo Tianxiao also smiled and nodded.
Nothing more was said.
Elder Gong returned to the judges' table and conversed with the other two. Then, Yao Zhi stood up and announced the numbers of those who advanced.
"After Elder Gong's evaluation, the alchemists who have advanced are number one, number five... number one hundred and seventy!"
Yao Zhi read out the numbers of those who passed the assessment in one breath. There were only thirty.
"Those whose names were not called need not be discouraged. I hope you will keep up the good work. Ten years from now, the Alchemist Association will also recruit new alchemists with potential. You will still have hope then."
After Yao Zhi comforted those who failed the assessment, she dispatched disciples to give each of these failed candidates a set of herbs for refining low-grade pills.
Once these people left with regret, the massive alchemy arena became much emptier.
Mo Tianxiao secretly clicked his tongue. This elimination rate was a bit high, wasn't it?
Of course, this also showed that aside from the high requirements of the Haoran Righteousness Sect, many of these people were just here to try their luck.
"To the remaining thirty alchemists, congratulations on successfully joining the Haoran Righteousness Sect and becoming members of the sect's Pill Hall."
Yao Zhi continued her explanation. Although the Haoran Righteousness Sect had recruited thirty alchemists, it didn't mean the assessment was over.
"The alchemists of the Haoran Righteousness Sect's Pill Hall are divided into ordinary alchemists, deacons, and alchemist elders. The treatment for each position is completely different; the higher the position, the better the treatment.
Ordinary alchemists refining pills for the Haoran Righteousness Sect can freely take one-tenth of the yield as their reward.
Deacon alchemists refining pills for the Haoran Righteousness Sect can freely take two-tenths of the yield as their reward.
As for alchemist elders, they can freely take three-tenths of the yield as their personal reward.
Regardless of the rank, when an alchemist refines pills for the Haoran Righteousness Sect, all medicinal herbs and spiritual treasures are provided by the sect."
Hearing Yao Zhi's words, the alchemists in the arena below all showed expressions of joy. This was the reason they came to the Haoran Righteousness Sect—they didn't need to worry about medicinal herbs or making money.
The spectators watching the show in the stands also sighed in admiration, "The income of the Haoran Righteousness Sect's alchemists is indeed higher than that of rogue alchemists on the outside."
Generally speaking, the standard rate for an alchemist to take a reward is one-tenth of the refined pill's value, regardless of the alchemist's level.
However, the deacons and elders of the Haoran Righteousness Sect's Alchemy Hall could receive even greater compensation.
Being an alchemist truly was an incredibly lucrative profession. It was just a pity that not everyone could become one.
e vast world of cultivation, where he becomes the master of the Heavenly Ruins Sacred Hall, a dying old man with barely a tenth of his former cultivation remaining. He is immediately confronted with a deadly crisis: his subordinates have rebelled, and his protectors are forcing him to abdicate. At the critical moment, the system descends from the heavens: [Ding! The host has been detected facing a life-or-death crisis. The system is now officially activated!] [As a gift, you have received the Supreme Beginner’s Pack and awakened the ultimate cheat: ten thousand years of pure cultivation essence every second!] Yin Tianjue: “Wait… ten thousand years of cultivation every second? That’s six hundred thousand years a minute, and in one day… I can’t even calculate it. Either way, I’m already invincible!” You’re a peerless prodigy rarely seen in ten thousand years? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. You’re an undying ancestor who has guarded a sacred land for countless ages? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. You’re the strongest chosen one, blessed with heaven-defying destiny? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. From this day forth, I have only one thing to say: “I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. Now, how exactly are you supposed to deal with that?”
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
lanned to earn money steadily and take life at a slower pace. But he never expected... his father's remarriage, and the stepmother bringing along a dependent, would completely disrupt his life's plans...
